Grieving Family Of Hit-And-Run Victim Deserves Justice

Grieving Family Of Hit-And-Run Victim Deserves Justice

Tragedy struck on Sunday night, May 18, 2014 when Harry Maurent was killed by a hit-and-run driver on I-285. At the time, Mr. Maurent was a pedestrian in east Cobb County, Georgia. After the hit-and-run driver struck him, the driver left Harry behind in the middle of the busy road. Three more vehicles hit Harry. Unlike the initial driver who fled the scene, the drivers of those three subsequent vehicles stopped and spoke with police.

Harry Maurent was 30 years old. His surviving family members say that when Harry’s father passed away in late 2011, Harry stepped up as a leader of the family. The family describes him as a wonderful man.

On Friday June 13, 2014, Butler Tobin’s Darren Tobin joined Mr. Maurent’s mother Marie who courageously stepped out in front of news television cameras including WSB-TV 2, Fox 5, CBS 46, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Marietta Daily Journal pleading that anyone who can identify the vehicle responsible for her son’s death come forward. Based on the evidence, officers believe it was light-colored small SUV, quite possibly a Saturn Vue. The vehicle likely has front-end damage to it. Cobb County Police are asking that anyone who has seen a vehicle matching the description please call 770-499-3987.

Hit-and-run collisions harm not only the person struck, but the loved ones affected by the crime. The consequences linger long after the driver flees. Families are left with grief and with unanswered questions. That is why Georgia law punishes drivers with stiff penalties including felony charges. Specifically, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270 mandates that drivers stop and help. If an accident causes death or a serious injury and the driver does not stop, the driver can be imprisoned for one to five years.